Chapter 85: The Romance Unfolds, Part Two
“Don’t you dare look!”
Wei Wanlan flailed his little dragon claws, scrambling backward, but in his haste, his lips nearly brushed against Fu Junâs chin. Mortified, he spun around.
But what was reflected on the waterâs surface was even more mortifying.
The Hall of Purple Empyrean materialized on the water.
It was the memory of the night the big baddie had lost his mind and bullied him.
That night, the big baddie had been utterly feral. Wei Wanlan remembered feeling like he couldnât breathe before being kissed into oblivion. QAQ
The scene, which sent his blood rushing in reverse just thinking about it, was now replaying before his very eyes in vivid, graphic detail.
What made it even more incomprehensible for Wei Wanlan was this:
When reading the memories from Yuan Mingyueâs jade coronet, he had seen everything from Yuan Mingyueâs perspective, through his eyes.
But nowâŚ
Wei Wanlan was about to cry from sheer embarrassmentâŚ
He didnât understand.
Why, oh why, was the image in the water from a birdâs-eye view!?
It was as if someone had installed a security camera in the Hall of Purple Empyrean.
From this angle, the Regent King was pinning him down firmly.
He was using his calloused left hand to clamp Wei Wanlan’s jaw, and the version of himself below could only cry and part his lips pitifully.
Now, from a bystander’s perspective, Wei Wanlan could clearly see the wicked smile on the big baddieâs face. He even saw him stick out his tongue as if to devour him, his tongue sweeping wantonly, a domineering conquest, and then the image of himself started to gasp for air.
He also had a front-row seat to how he had clung to the big baddie to gasp for breath.
And he saw himself trembling violently.
He saw the big baddieâs hand supporting the small of his backâŚ
But in Fu Junâs eyes, this was all just leaves swirling in the water. He didnât understand. Yet, he sensed he should use this opportunity to tease the little fool.
âWhatâs there not to see?â
The image was already stimulating enough.
Fu Junâs clear, steady voice from behind him sent another jolt through Wei Wanlan. A cry escaped his lips, and a current shot from the base of his spine all the way up.
He leaned against the railing, facing the intertwining figures in the water. His tear ducts couldnât take it, and soon his vision blurred.
âDonât talk. Donât look.â
âIâm begging you. QAQâ
âItâs a good show. Youâre being stingy.â
âNoâŚâ
Before him was the watery image, where the pitiful Wei Wanlanâs legs were trembling.
Behind him was Fu Junâs searing hot chest, the intimidating pressure clear. The small of Wei Wanlanâs back itched unbearably. He gripped the railing, his knuckles turning purple and then white from the force.
Neither direction felt right. Wei Wanlan instinctively arched his back like a cat.
He seemed to be avoiding something, yet also faintly anticipating it.
Tilting his head up slightly, Wei Wanlanâs breath came out increasingly moist.
Two distinct thoughts repeated in his chaotic mind.
The thoughts spurred him to the brink of tears.
âIt feels like Iâm making babies with the Regent King.â
âIt also feels like Iâm making babies with Fu Jun.â
I really shouldnât have gone to the Mianhua Pavilion to listen in on people!
Why am I always thinking about this? And with two different people! Iâm such a bad kid, wuwuwuâŚ
Itâs just like on TV, right?
Two people embracing, then kissing, then writhing around and sticking their tongues out. Then the camera pans up, and if nothing goes wrong, a few episodes later, the one being kissed has a baby.
Or, two people can embrace from behind, and as long as the person being held tilts their head up a few times and the camera shakes a bit, a few episodes later, that character will have a baby too.
Five plus five equals ten.
My belly will have to hold ten babies.
Iâm so screwed. Theyâve multiplied.
Ten little puppets, how am I supposed to raise themâŚ
So scary, wuwu QAQ.
Wei Wanlan was on the verge of losing his mind from this seemingly endless torment. He sniffled.
But Fu Jun thought he was cold. He half-embraced him from behind, his woody scent slowly seeping in, carrying his body heat.
It made Wei Wanlan shiver even more violently.
Wei Wanlanâs front was pressed against the cold railing, his heart fuzzy. He thought Fu Jun was about to bite the side of his neck.
And in the ambiguous reflection, the version of him in the water was being bullied to the point of fainting, his eyelashes, laden with tears, fluttering shutâŚ
The final image on the waterâs surfaceâŚ
What should have been the blackness of him fainting from lack of air⌠the water should have turned black.
But strangely, the end of the scene was a burst of multicolored light.
Clusters of color bloomed in the rippling water, as lustrous as melted silk, or like a sky full of fireworks reflected on the waterâs surface.
Where did the fireworks come from?
Why would there be fireworks in his memory?
Could it be because the leaves were given by Fu Jun, and they had been tinged with some of his memories?
Was there an unforgettable, grand fireworks display in Fu Junâs memory?
Clickâ
A sound cut through Wei Wanlanâs swirling thoughts, once again striking a sharp note in his mind.
It was the same sound he had heard in the storeroom, the clear click of a trigger being pulled.
His thoughts, which had been about to wander off into infinity, came to an abrupt halt. Wei Wanlan reined in his mind.
He hastily gathered his scattered thoughts, looking utterly disheveled, yet he still had to deal with Fu Jun.
He also put on a stern face, deliberately trying to sound calm, forcing himself to talk business with Fu Jun.
âDid you hear that sound just now?â
âI did.â
âWhat was it?â
âThe sound of a mechanism.â
âWhy would there be the sound of a mechanism? Whereâs the Valiant Warrior?â
These two questions signaled Wei Wanlanâs shift from wild fantasies to extreme unease.
He hadnât forgotten that they were still in the Luoyang Imperial Villa, on Yuan Xizaiâs turf. Even if Fu Junâs martial arts were incredible, against a prefectural governor, two fists were no match for four hands.
âThink about it. Why did we come to the Luoyang Prefectâs Mansion in the first place?â
Yuan Xizai spent night after night in his bedchamber in the Prefectâs Mansion. The bedchamber led to the Imperial Villa, and they had been wandering around the villaâŚ
It was impossible that they hadnât caught Yuan Xizaiâs attention by now.
The reason he hadnât acted soonerâŚ
Was because he wasnât ready.
But now, Yuan Xizai was probably ready.
Scores of soldiers in the standard uniform of the Great Wei army. Archers, stationed at every point, appeared from all sides of the stone bridge, their bowstrings drawn taut!
The sound that had accompanied him throughout the Luoyang Imperial Villa, the sound like a machine gun trigger being pulled, was actually Yuan Xizaiâs archers.
On the other end of the bridge.
Yuan Xizai appeared, strolling leisurely with his hands behind his back. He wore a scholarâs cap and wide robes, his skin fair, which made his red lips and white teeth stand out. He looked every bit the refined man of letters, with no trace of a corrupt official about him.
Yuan Xizai said:
âYour Majesty, it has been a long time.â
That single call of âYour Majestyâ caught Wei Wanlan completely off guard.
He hadnât expected his identity to be exposed so quickly. He had wanted to keep up the act.
But despite his intention to feign ignorance, Wei Wanlan looked left and right, and Fu Junâs reaction was much calmer than he had anticipated.
Perhaps it was because Fu Jun naturally had a cold and imperturbable face.
Fu Jun showed no reaction to his true identity, merely fixing his sharp gaze on the formation of archers across from them. His right hand grasped his sword, poised for the coming confrontation.
And this seriousness made Wei Wanlan, standing half a step behind Fu Jun, feel an inexplicable flutter in his heart. Even with a powerful enemy before them, what managed to stir his thoughts was not the sudden appearance of Yuan Xizai on the stone bridge, nor the archers.
It was Fu Jun.
Why did he always have this strange feeling about Fu Jun? Wei Wanlan didnât understand.
He was momentarily dazed.
This reaction, to outsiders, looked like complete indifference to Yuan Xizaiâs attack. Wei Wanlan had, in turn, shattered Yuan Xizaiâs elegant, unshakable facade.
Yuan Xizai would not allow the young Son of Heaven, under conditions where he held the absolute advantage, to appear so calm.
âYour Majesty has been living in seclusion, not attending to court for three years. This servant has not had the chance to behold the celestial countenance. But Chief Secretary Xiao is no stranger. Many of the old palace hands here know him. So, Your Majesty should have explored every secret of this Imperial Villa by now, but you have failed. You were discovered by this servant, and now you are surrounded.â
But if there was one person in this world who didnât understand sarcasm, it was Wei Wanlan.
Because he was both sensitive and oblivious. When he was oblivious, he simply couldnât perceive that Yuan Xizai was trying to show off. He just thought Yuan Xizai was stating a fact.
Wei Wanlan said, âWell then, where is Chief Secretary Xiao? Where have you hidden the Valiant Warrior?â
He didnât take the bait, once again denying Yuan Xizai the satisfaction of having the upper hand.
This made Yuan Xizai have to become more aggressive.
The great corrupt official gestured with his hand, and the soldiers on the other end of the bridge advanced several steps, closing the distance from several dozen feet to just a few dozen. The tips of the crossbow bolts glinted like stars under the warm orange palace lanterns.
Wei Wanlan was now being targeted by dozens of crossbows.
His attention was pulled back to Yuan Xizai. The other man had the absolute advantage of home turf and an army. He moved closer to Fu Jun, grabbing the arm that wasnât holding a sword, and whispered to him, âThere are so many of them.â
The person who answered him was not Fu Jun, but Yuan Xizai. After two rounds of verbal sparring where he failed to gain any advantage over the Son of HeavenâŚ
Yuan Xizai now gathered his sleeves in the night wind, the corners of his lips slowly curling upwards, and his smile bloomed once more.
He said something amusing:
âYour Majesty should be in the Imperial Palace in Changâan, working with the Regent King to govern the realm. But Your Majesty does not love the common people and has instead privately come to Luoyang for pleasure. This is not the action of an enlightened monarch. Your Majesty is wrong. If the Regent King knew, he too would be heartbroken by Your Majestyâs willfulness.â
Twisting the narrative!
Wei Wanlan tightened his little dragon claws on Fu Junâs clothes.
Yuan Xizai laughed again, his words falling even more clearly.
âThe rivers and mountains of the Great Wei have been passed down for a hundred years, but the imperial family has grown weaker by the day. The rulers of the world have been foolish, and it has only gotten worse with Your Majesty. If Your Majesty is allowed to continue sitting on the dragon throne, to be a do-nothing emperor, how can we face the Regent King who toils day and night, neglecting food and sleep to manage the affairs of the court?â
Manufacturing a pretext!
âUnfortunately, swords and blades have no eyes. Your Majesty is fated to die in this Imperial Villa. Even if you had a thousand tongues, you could not jump out of the underworld to explain to future generations whether or not you were debauched in this villa.â
Sealing his fate!
Yuan Xizai was a master of framing and fabricating.
These few sentences completely twisted the truth, turning Wei Wanlan, who had come to investigate, into a foolish young monarch on a pleasure trip to Luoyang.
And Wei Wanlan, at this moment, recalled the Memory Revealing Solution and Yuan Mingyue. A fire of suppressed anger burned in his chest. It was the frustration of being manipulated at will, unable to fight back. He took several deep breaths of the pollen-scented air of the Imperial Villa, flower petals falling all over his head.
Yuan Xizai finally gave the order:
âOur lord, the Regent King, has long desired to ascend to the great treasure. I will borrow your dragon head as a congratulatory gift to the Regent King for changing the dynasty!â
âRelease the arrows!!!â
The bowstrings hummed, and a volley of arrows flew.
In that instant, Wei Wanlan squeezed his eyes shut. How many times had he faced a rain of arrows? When was the last timeâŚ
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